You realize that you've got to enable voice ordering?

Alexa works in conjunction with an application which you can use to control the 'skills' that Alexa is allowed to exhibit. One thing you should definitely not turn on unless you can control it is the ability to order stuff (it is off by default).

I realize that this device is new to a lot of people and so now we've got to go through the 'vandalism' phase with everyone trying novel ways to screw with it but its just an interface, albeit one with outstanding voice recognition and synthesis capabilities. I'd like Alexa to be able to identify individual voices, I daresay this will come in time but its not a regular skill, because she will not only be able to personalize her replies but also we can avoid situations like this.

Incidentally, for everyone who's not seen one of these yet I should mention the 'mute' button -- you can turn her off and on at the press of a button.

Re: You realize that you've got to enable voice ordering?

I could theoretically create "just an interface" where by moving my dick up, down and side to side I work out letters using tap code. It's an interface. It's just a completely pointless and utterly moronic interface.

Re: "you can turn her off and on at the press of a button"

Until the thing is rooted. Nowhere have I seen any info about what protection from on-line fiddling the Echo has, if any. If it connects to the web it can be hacked. Is the mike-mute button even part of the hardware loop?

Even This Article..

...would cause problems for partially sighted / blind people using web-to-spoken-voice-translation aids, if they also have an Amazon Echo in the house. There's a real risk that somewhere out there a blind person is now in receipt of a pointless dolls house.

I'm wondering how long it'll be before some wag on a radio station (perhaps a call in) says, "Hello TomTom. Go Home". Anyone with a modern TomTom satnav who is driving and listening to that station may find their travel plans altered for the better...

Similarly a radio station could, on Mother's day, broadcast "OK Google, call Mum".

Etc.

Anyway, we're lucky that the world's economy has not been fully configured overnight to supply nothing but dolls houses... Or, perhaps it has?

It seems that Amazon Echos are becoming quite popular with the elderly - it's an easy way for them to "use the web", and it's seen as a way they can call for help if they fall, etc. So Echo is beginning to find roles which could be seen to have a significant element of safety-criticality in them.

This is unexpected, to say the least. And this has taken off in just the very few weeks it's been on sale here in the UK. Amazing!

I bet Amazon, or anyone else didn't anticipate this...

So it means that Producers of Sound (radio, TV, the lot) are going to have to be careful to not do as you suggest!

Arguably it's a cock up for Amazon - broadcasters might become very reluctant to ever use the word "Alexa", for fear of triggering some chain of events somewhere. We may have escaped the dollshousalypse, and no one wants to be blamed for another. And if its never mentioned, where's the publicity coming from?

"Arguably it's a cock up for Amazon - broadcasters might become very reluctant to ever use the word "Alexa", for fear of triggering some chain of events somewhere."

Hmm, yes, add them to the list of banned words. I wonder what Siri would make of the command "assly"?

Google might be even worse off than Amazon or Apple. Any time the word Google is used in TV, they'll have to be careful that it never, ever follows the word OK, which it could well do on a news programme, eg one sentence ending with OK and the next starting with Google. At least not using the words Alexa, Siri etc on TV doesn't hide the company brand.

Alexa, Tea, Earl Grey, Hot

When the system is as smart as me, able unambiguously to identify me, able to correctly understand free-form speech without error, and never allows any signal out of itself without confirmation and permission, it will still get it wrong.

Proof? People living together for twenty years or more, such as me and Mrs Barnacle, can still have massive misunderstandings from a misheard or misunderstood word, or even a misinterpreted tone of voice. There's an awful lot more to speech communication than knowing what the words are.

But it's not going to happen. Why would any sane person leave a live microphone connected to a sales machine? No microphones, no cameras Chez Barnacle.

Re: Alexa, Tea, Earl Grey, Hot

Re: Why would any sane person leave a live microphone connected to a sales machine?

"Sane people don't."

With greatest respect: you mean sane *well-informed* people.

You and many others here are clearly well-informed about the downside of these technological advances and "improvements". How about your family and friends, neighbours, etc? Do they understand the risks? Who is going to help them undestand that this stuff has a downside, and probably very little upside for most people.

I have a retired relative who is perfectly sane, but when she moved house a couple of years ago, she sent at least one subscription software supplier an email containing name, address, and credit card details. There will be plenty more like that. Not insane, not necessarily even naive, just not fully aware of the downsides of all the miracles they've been sold, and not always aware of basic interweb safety precautions.

Happy 2017. Come back Eddie Shoestring, you did the right thing back then, your time has come again (OK maybe without the moustache this time, but y'know).

Re: Alexa, Tea, Earl Grey, Hot

"So ... no smartphones, nor tablets neither, and nary a laptop in sight?"

Would you be very surprised if I told you that my laptop is old enough (had to fix the hinges that stuck and broke the case I then had to replace, but otherwise works just fine thank you) to not have any cameras, and that I stopped updating Firefox on my phone when it started asking for access to audio...?

Re: Alexa, Tea, Earl Grey, Hot

"When the system is as smart as me, able unambiguously to identify me, able to correctly understand free-form speech without error, and never allows any signal out of itself without confirmation and permission, it will still get it wrong."

Even humans can get confused by homophonic phrases. What chance does a computer have? Did you just tell it to "recognize speech" or to "wreck a nice beach"?

Re: Alexa, Tea, Earl Grey, Hot

"Does nobody just stick insulating tape over their laptop camera these days?"

I think most cameras are textured on the outside or otherwise have anti-adhesive features around the lens such that tape tends to fall off quickly. And I wouldn't try to disable the camera in hardware, as it may cause the laptop to brick.

And no hope on the mic since it can still pick up while completely enclosed by feeling the vibrations of the case.

Re: Alexa, Tea, Earl Grey, Hot

"Does nobody just stick insulating tape over their laptop camera these days?"

I think most cameras are textured on the outside or otherwise have anti-adhesive features around the lens such that tape tends to fall off quickly. And I wouldn't try to disable the camera in hardware, as it may cause the laptop to brick.

Easy fix. Superglue is more adhesive, even if you just want to smooth the surface. Or stick it to the lens along with whatever blocking substance you wish. Sandpaper works as well. And a lot of (older) cases can be opened just enough to drop the lens of the camera down enough that it can't see.

And no hope on the mic since it can still pick up while completely enclosed by feeling the vibrations of the case.

Wirecutters and an appropriate ohmage resistor should you be worried about the actual mic being tested. Or fit a socket and proper mic if you wish to use it sometimes. And if it has a normal socket (not a lenovo must-use-expensive-proprietary-mic one) then just plug in a plug that has no leads coming off it.

All this stuff you chuck up is trivially defeated, usually in a matter of 1/2 a seconds thought and a few seconds work.

Could help reduce Piracy.

Maybe every pirated/ripped music album appearing on the Internet should have a mandatory voice intro, saying "Alexa, order me all of {Artist}'s back catalog of music. {pause} Everything". {to my Amazon music account}*